Swansea Walmart nears completion

The 50,000-square-foot grocery section of the new Walmart is taking shape with freezers already on the floor, and sections for deli and bakery carved out and waiting for their first orders. The new Walmart at the Swansea Mall will officially open on Wednesday, Sept. 11.

The 50,000-square-foot grocery section of the new Walmart is taking shape with freezers already on the floor, and sections for deli and bakery carved out and waiting for their first orders.

The new Walmart at the Swansea Mall will officially open on Wednesday, Sept. 11.

The Herald News gained access inside the new store for a tour on Tuesday with Swansea Walmart Manager Erich Heilborn and RL Spencer General Contractor Superintendent Antony Sciarrino.

The new store is still currently surrounded by dirt, rocks and construction vehicles, but not for long. Paving is set for next week.

A new cement pad was just installed for the store’s garden center. When the store opens, it will be bright and ready to sell mums and other fall plants. The current Walmart was unable to open its outdoor garden center this year due to construction.

The 153,000-square-foot store was wide open inside with no aisles or displays as of yet to cut up the expansive space which made it appear big enough for an airplane landing. Skylights, already installed, were numerous and cast natural light all over the store.

The concrete floor will be buffed and shined rather than tiled. Heilborn said it eliminates the need for chemicals and cuts down on maintenance.

Inside the new store, Sciarrino — who has built 27 Walmarts — pointed out where the various departments will be located. The vision center will be on the left of the main entrance and the pick-up department on the right. A little further in will be the pharmacy on the right, and customer service and offices on the left.

There’s space for two tenants, a Subway, and possibly a nail salon.

There will be two sets of public bathrooms.

Sciarrino pointed out the seasonal department, sporting goods, toys, automotive, and pet supplies, all to the right.

The grocery section, with its own entrance, takes up the entire left third of the store.

Portions of the grocery department walls were already painted in sunshine yellow. Crews were working on drywall and painting in other areas.

“It’s coming together very quickly,” Sciarrino said.

The new Swansea and Fall River Walmart stores are being built with the same prototype and differ only by a small square footage and their opening dates.

“It’s all about convenience to the customer,” said Heilborn, a Swansea resident who has been store manager there for three years.

Work crews should be finished by July 4, with details like counters and fixtures to be completed by the end of July.

Page 2 of 2 - Walmart plans to begin setting up displays and shelves around Aug. 5. Meanwhile, the old Walmart will be open through the end of construction.

“We’re going to be splitting ourselves in two for a while,” Heilborn said.

The old Walmart will close on Sept. 10 at 6 p.m. The new store will open the following morning.

Heilborn said the building of the store, and now the eventual stocking and hiring has been very well orchestrated by corporate and local store management.

The old Walmart will be completely demolished after the new store opens. Sciarrino said most of the store, such as concrete and metals, will be recycled. The old Walmart will become a parking lot for the new Walmart. Much of the new store is being built with recycled materials.

Heilborn said the transition to the new store for customers, especially pharmacy customers, will be seamless. All of their data will be available on opening day.

Heilborn said customers are asked to be patient during the conclusion of the construction process and new store opening. He said it’s been tough for some customers to get to the old Walmart through the Swansea Mall Food Court entrance.

“We’ve asked our customers to do an awful lot,” Heilborn said.

Walmart has begun hiring staffers for the new store. It is seeking 200 employees for all departments, especially grocery, as well as assistant managers and shift managers.

“We’re in the planning stages now and meeting with all the associates,” Heilborn said.

The Walmart hiring center is open at the current store. Applications are available from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays. Interested applicants may also apply online at careers.walmart.com.

The majority of new associates will begin work in July to help prepare the store for its grand opening.